ACT Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio yesterday missed the sideline conversion of backrower Rob Valetini’s last-minute try, allowing the Canterbury Crusaders to win 31-29 in the new Super Rugby Trans Tasman tournament.
Valetini stretched over the Crusaders’ goal line in the last minute of normal time to give the Canberra-based Brumbies the chance of an unexpected draw against the New Zealand champions.
However, Lolesio, who had kept a perfect kicking record until that point, drifted his conversion attempt from the left touchline wide of the left-hand post, and the 14-man Crusaders, who led throughout the match, hung on with a sigh of relief.
Photo: AFP
The Crusaders were on top for most of the match and led 19-7 at halftime, but the Brumbies fought back in the second half, and a flurry of late penalties reduced the Crusaders to 14 men and gave the visitors the chance to level the score.
“I’m definitely proud of the effort, especially the fight we showed in the second half to put us back in the game,” Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said. “The boys were obviously devastated with the loss.”
“We came out here to win,” Alaalatoa said. “It shows when you come up against the Crusaders, you have to play the perfect game.”
The Crusaders have won a Super Rugby title in each of the past five years. They won the full Super Rugby tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and the Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament last year and again this year, bringing their tally of Super Rugby titles to 12.
The Brumbies won the Australian tournament last year and were runners-up to the Queensland Reds this year.
The chance for a combined Australia-New Zealand competition arose this year when a “travel bubble” was established between the Pacific neighbors.
“It’s a new competition and we had to step up,” said center David Havili, who finished the match as the Crusaders’ captain. “We weren’t great, but we came away with the win.”
“It’s awesome to play our Aussie partners,” Havili said. “It’s a good change for us.”
The Crusaders struck early in the match with a try to flanker Ethan Blackadder after only four minutes.
The Brumbies missed touch with a kick out of defense, igniting the Crusaders’ dangerous counterattack. They probed first on the left, then swung the ball right where a double-round by winger Leicester Fainga’nuku and a sharp pass from lock Mitchell Dunshea put Blackadder over.
More than 20 minutes elapsed before the Brumbies scored from an attacking lineout when Lolesio jinked through the Crusaders’ defense and prop Scott Sio drove over.
The Crusaders replied instantly with a try to flyhalf Richie Mo’unga. Valetini knocked on the kick-off and from the attacking scrum Mo’unga faked to kick then stepped off his right foot to cut through the interior defense and score.
An intercept try to Havili, who crept up on the short side to pick off a pass from scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan, put the Crusaders ahead 19-7 at halftime.
The Brumbies saw little possession in the first half, but much more in the second, when they severely pressured the Crusaders.
They scored in the 50th minute when the ball popped unexpectedly to center Irae Simone at a breakdown under the Crusaders posts. A conversion and penalty to Lolesio cut the lead to two points, 19-17, after 58 minutes.
Tries to loosies Brendon O’Connor and Cullen Grace put the Crusaders ahead 31-17 before the Brumbies mounted an outstanding comeback with tries to winger Tom Banks and Valetini.
At AAMI Park in Melbourne, the Auckland Blues stormed to a 50-3, six-tries-to-none thrashing of the Rebels after leading 17-3 at halftime.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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